While most MLB teams nowadays look at promising but young and unproven options for their managerial vacancies, the Chicago White Sox decided to go with experience and a proven track record.
The team announced on Wednesday that they have hired Hall of Famer Tony La Russa as their new manager. La Russa, who already managed the team in the ’80s, has three World Series wins and more than 50 years of experience in the MLB as a player, manager, and executive.
This will be the first managerial job for La Russa since 2011 when he took St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title and then retired. Since then, he has worked as an advisor with Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels.
The White Sox interviewed numerous candidates for the position since firing Rick Renteria earlier this month. Still, the 76-year-old La Russa emerged as the preferred option as the team hopes his experience will help stabilize the team and maximize the talented roster.
Renteria led the White Sox to the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2008 this year, before losing 2-1 to Oakland Athletics in the wild-card series. Despite this success, several questionable decisions and unexplainable free fall in the second part of the regular season, when the team lost 12 out of their last 15 games, prompted the team to make a change.
